Freestyle Skiing reports on positive trends

The Freestyle Ski World Cup calendar for the coming season foresees a record number of 86 events in 25 locations and 12 nations, along with the World Championships in Norway’s Voss and Oslo, reflecting the continued positive trend of the discipline.

During the FIS Technical Committee Meetings, the members of the Freestyle Ski Committee reviewed their planning work which started in autumn 2010 and  followed on from the work which started in 2000. The so-called ‘Vision 2020’ plan was reviewed and has shown strong progression in particular towards the following pillars:

-    A process of modernisation in Freestyle Skiing has been underway focusing on opportunities with new trends in skiing. This has been underlined by the introduction of ski slopestyle and ski halfpipe to the competition schedule of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi (RUS). In addition, ski slopestyle has seen its first FIS World Cup in 2012 after it was successfully included in the 2011 Deer Valley FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships and will see continuation in Voss 2013.
 
-    The objective of attracting youth to all events in Freestyle Skiing has had its first pinnacle at the Junior FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships 2012 in Valmalenco (ITA). Competitions were held with record numbers in all events, featuring a total of 242 athletes from 30 participating nations. In addition, ski halfpipe and ski cross were officially included in the programme of the first Youth Olympic Winter Games in 2012 in Innsbruck (AUT).
 
-    A simpler presentation and performance evaluation shall provide easier understanding of Freestyle Skiing to ensure all audiences know what is going on at all times. New formats with different numbers of qualification and final phases that allow the fans to see the top skiers more often in moguls and aerials will make the competitions easier to understand for fans and TV viewers. In addition, the 100 points system (awarded to the top 30 athletes) has been implemented in moguls and is already in place in halfpipe and slopestyle.
 
Further goals include high standard delivery of events for all stakeholders, intergration of new technology and the continued search for partners to help move forward all aspects of the sport and promotional side of Freestyle Skiing.

In Zurich, the new Chairman of the Sub-Committee for Freestyle Skiing Rules and Officials, Michael Kennedy (AUS) chaired his first meeting. He currently holds the position of Chief Executive Officer of Ski and Snowboard Australia, was a long-time former Freestyle Ski competitor and team manager and thus brings a wealth of experience to the Sub-Committee.

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